Tool drummer Danny Carey is really something else. But so is the drum technician who tours alongside the musician when the alt-metal veterans hit the road. Enter Joe Slaby, the touring drum tech who helped Carey swap snare drums mid-song at a Tool show this spring.
That’s right, Carey kept playing as the switch occurred, his hits eventually landing on the replacement drum after something malfunctioned with the one he was using. Now that’s quick thinking.
And luckily for Tool fans — not to mention all admirers of clutch musicianship — a nearby drum cam captured the action. Slaby subsequently shared the clip on social media in March. Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
Carey is playing Lateralus‘ “The Grudge” when the snare snafu crops up. His response recalls a 1989 Austin City Limits concert where the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan spectacularly swapped axes mid-song with the help of a quick guitar tech, as Metal Hammer pointed out. Both onstage exchanges show the benefit of a good road hand, not to mention the musical dexterity of a performer such as a Vaughan or a Carey.
Tool just finished a European tour in May. They played several older songs for the first time in years on the trek. In 2019, they released Fear Inoculum, their first studio album since 2006.
Carey’s drum swap happened during Tool’s show in Columbus, Ohio, on March 6. Watch:
